New Xbox CEO may have hinted more cloud-native games are on the way

Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma seems to hint that more streaming-native games and experiences are in development for Microsoft's cloud gaming service.

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After 25 years, the Xbox games division is making big changes that will lay out its service-oriented, digital-first future. Phil Spencer has retired, and Sarah Bond has resigned, with previous Microsoft AI exec Asha Sharma now taking the reins for Microsoft Gaming (aka Xbox). Thanks to an internal memo shared by Windows Central, gamers now have a better idea of what to expect from Sharma's leadership.

Sharma has some interesting things to say about Xbox's future. The CEO mentions immediate access to "instant and seamless" experiences, and that Xbox will build this content. Microsoft already has one cloud-native game in development in partnership with Kojima Productions--Hideo Kojima's new horror game OD is powered by cloud technology, however specifics about how exactly the gameplay will work remain unclear.

The Xbox console experience is also being treated as a "reference point," and Sharma has already made a clear commitment to consoles, however no further details have been offered.

Xbox's new leader further mentions the "future of play," which could be a nod to the rumored Xbox console-PC hybrid that's rumored to be in development.

"I have three commitments that I laid out. We will deliver great games. Everything is downstream of great games, that means empowering studios to do our best work.

"The second thing is the 'return to Xbox,' we are going to start with console, and make sure that we understand that this is our reference experience. We will meet players where they are, and build experiences that are instant and seamless and accessible.

"And third, we are living through an unprecedented era of change. We will build for the future of play.

"As we think about the road ahead, it's not going to be me or any one person, we will be team Xbox. We will not be the studios or the platform or marketing or operations. We will be team Xbox, and we'll get through this together."

If we had to guess, Microsoft might be moving forward with its new cloud-enabled Xbox controller (codenamed Sebile) that will help facilitate deeper interactions while playing cloud-native games. This accessory may be key to differentiating Microsoft's cloud-native games from other experiences on the market, and future titles could be designed around it, similar to how Sony's first-party game developers make their games interactable with the PS5's DualSense haptic feedback technology.